The Mole: Cunning Conniver
by The Inexplicable One
Summary: 10 players. 9 genuine. 1 is a traitor, hired by the producers to sabotage the players efforts to earn money. One by one, the Mole will execute the players out of the game, ending their season. However, at the end, there will be one player who overcomes the Mole and reveals their identity. It all comes down to one question: Who is the Mole?
1. An A-MAZE-ing Beginning

_**The Mole: Cunning Conniver:**_

**This fanfiction writing is the sole property of The Inexplicable One. Any unauthorized reproduction, whether complete or not, is strictly prohibited. You are welcome to derive and kind of inspiration and beliefs from my work, but any actual reproduction is not allowed.**

**That being said, all characters provided in this story belong to Nintendo, although all of the story ideas belong to myself. I do not own these characters in any way, shape, or form.**

**"The Mole" is a reality game show which has been started in Belgium but has been licensed in more than 40 countries up until now, with often multiple seasons per country. Currently, there are still seasons going on or planned in countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, and Bulgaria.**

**In the game, the players compete in various mental and physical challenges in order to add money to the Team Pot, which will end up going only to the winner. However, in their group, there is one person hired by the producers known as the Mole, whose job is to sabotage their efforts to earn money and stay hidden at the same time. The players must search out the identity of the Mole, for at the end of each episode, they will take a questionnaire on the Mole, with questions from "what is the Mole's gender", to "what did the Mole drink at the dinner yesterday". The player who scores the lowest on the quiz will be sent home each episode, with the slowest in the case of a tie.**

**Now, if you haven't already, I suggest that you read "The Mole" stories written by krisetchers and Princess Toady. They are well written, and are both mysterious and entertaining, as well as the inspiration for my own story.**

**Without further ado, I now present to you, The Mole: Cunning Conniver! Remember to make your suspicions!**

* * *

_10 players. 9 genuine. 1 is a traitor, hired by the producers to sabotage the players efforts to earn money. One by one, the Mole will execute the players out of the game, ending their season. However, at the end, there will be one player who overcomes the Mole and reveals their identity. It all comes down to one question: Who is the Mole?_

Episode 1, Part 1: An A-MAZE-ing Beginning:

Mushroom creatures, on the small side, roam past the mushroom shaped homes on the colorful brick roads that line this little haven of theirs with peaceful thoughts and intentions. The majority of the action here takes place in the common Bowser kidnappings, or during the even more common Sunday Market. However, today is different. This town, known as Toad Town, and the inhabitants as toads, is about to experience a new type of action. An action in the form of a reality game show called The Mole.

In front of the town's famous castle, home of the frequently kidnapped Princess Peach, a small figure about a little taller than the height of the average toad resides. With his pale brown fur, white chest and cheeks, shining sunglasses, and glistening black claws and nose, this mole is none other than the Monty Mole. The garden, oddly devoid of toads for this special occurrence gives the castle an oddly serene but mysterious air.

Giving a secretive smirk, Monty Mole breaks the silence with his cryptic words. "Momentarily, our players will be arriving to our location. Instructed not to speak with their vehicle partner, they are all strangers to each other."

He took a minute to straighten his glasses before continuing. "However, they all have the same goal; to win the game while earning as much as the game has to offer. All but one, that is. Among their group, there is one player who is not what they appear to be. That player is the mole, sabotaging their efforts to earn money all while keeping their identity hidden. The identity is important to the normal players, as that is how they will progress further, channeling every player's energies towards the answer to the ever crucial question: Who is the Mole?"

As he finishes, a soft orange limousine appears entering the driveway to the gate. "I believe that our first competitors are here. I can't help but wonder what they will bring to the game," Monty Mole states.

The limousine slides to a stop mere feet from the gate. Immediately, the right side door is thrown open, and a tall light yellow figure with a blue shell, helmet and shoes leaps out, clenching a white boomerang in their left hand.

"Yo, what's up!" the figure exclaims while energetically hopping springing over to Monty.

**First Name: Boomer**

Surname: Bro

Birthday: October 12

Occupation: Weapons Specialist

Meanwhile, the door on the left side is cracked open, then pushed out, allowing the occupant to carefully step out.

"Hello, I'm Toadette, and you are…" the female toad questions, pink pigtails swinging in the light breeze.

**First Name: Toadette**

Surname: Chanterelle

Birthday: May 22

Occupation: College Student

"Monty Mole," Monty replies, "and welcome to The Mole. I believe that more of your fellow players are arriving," he finishes, turning their attention to the lime green limousine taking the place of the rapidly vanishing orange one. As the vehicle halts, both doors open, right then left, one after another, and a white spherical being wearing sunglasses identical to Monty floats out from the right side, disoriented for a moment before regaining composure.

"Nice sunglasses Monty," the being says with a smirk.

**First Name: Boo**

Surname: Vaninto

Birthday: December 13

Occupation: Spy

Shortly afterwards, a pink dinosaur steps quickly out the left side, but with a sparkle of excitement in their eyes, straightening the bow tie on top of their head, as her diamond ring glimmers in the sunlight.

"Hi everyone!" she exclaims, unable to fully contain their enthusiasm.

**First Name: Birdo**

Surname: Sauria

Birthday: September 3

Occupation: Jeweler

"Hello and welcome to The Mole!" Boomer announces in his best imitation of Monty Mole.

"Erm, well yes," Monty follows up awkwardly, "and I spot some more of your competition on the way," he states, drawing their eyes to the bright yellow limousine entering the street. Hardly had the limousine pulled to a halt before the left hand door burst outwards, releasing a koopa not quite the size of Monty who breathed in the air before leaping over the door to where the rest of the group was.

"Oh yeah baby! I'm here! Uh-huh!" he eagerly cries.

**First Name: Junior**

Surname: Bowser

Birthday: March 30

Occupation: Artist

On the other hand, the door on the right opens more cautiously, before a goomba with a blonde ponytail and an exploration hat jumps down and albeit with less gusto, makes their way over to the group.

"Is everyone here also here for The Mole?" she asks.

**First Name: Goombella**

Surname: Capricorn

Birthday: January 26

Occupation: Informational Writer

"Except me, yes." Monty replied, before silencing further conversation with a wave towards the incoming flashy and cheery cyan limousine replacing the departing yellow one. This time, both doors remained shut for a moment after the vehicle's movement stalled, before they opened simultaneously. From the right one, a slightly tanned girl with an orange dress and auburn hair jumps down. After fixing the crown on top of her hair, she calmly strolls over to the group.

"Hey y'all, how's it going today?" she casually questions.

**First Name: Daisy**

Surname: Sarasa

Birthday: July 17

Occupation: Floral Chain Owner

Out of the left one, a rather average looking koopa stepped out, sporting a spiffy blue shell and a smooth and neat neckerchief. He jogged over to the group, shivering with anticipation.

"Is this everyone? Are we the last ones?" he inquires.

**First Name: Kooper**

Surname: Shellsby

Birthday: June 24

Occupation: Exploration Assistant

"Not quite," Monty replied, motioning towards the fifth, bubblegum pink limousine pulling up towards them. Not until some moments after the limousine had stopped did the first door open. From the right hand side, a pale haired woman with a light turquoise dress gracefully stepped down, smiling at everyone. After gently closing the door, she smoothed out her dress before walking carefully over to the other players. Taking in their appearances, she shook hands with Monty.

"I believe that you are our host, correct?" she politely queries.

**First Name: Rosalina**

Surname: Nova

Birthday: February 6

Occupation: Cosmologist

"Yes, I am indeed," Monty replies, while covering up his surprise at the announcement.

While the conversation was going on, a very tall, but thin man with a long pink nose and equally long and thin mustache slunk out of the left side and silently joined the group.

**First Name: Waluigi**

Surname: Amello

Birthday: August 31

Occupation: Government Hacker

"Now, that everyone's here, there are some things you must know about this game beyond what you may know," Monty stated, " although some of you may know this already. When you were told that you would be competing in events to earn money to go into the team pot, you were never told how it would be decided who would get the money, no?"

"That's right, they never told us. What's up with that?" Boomer asked.

"As you'll soon find out, this game is all about two things; knowledge is one of them," Monty replied, "and especially about retrieving that knowledge yourself. If you had looked up 'The Mole' from other countries, you would have known how it was played and what you should learn to expect."

"Wait, what?" Kooper asked. "Seriously?"

"You mean that you're not going to tell us the rules?" Daisy exclaimed.

"Fear not; I'll give those who haven't found them out a brief explanation of the rules," Monty reassured, "Most of you are genuine players. But in your midst, there is a traitor, a saboteur, whose sole goal is to keep money away from the team pot."

"I should have expected something like this," Toadette responded, "after all, it couldn't have been that simple."

"I assume that this 'Mole' has some other importance, however, am I right?" Rosalina queried.

"As a matter of fact, they do," Monty answered. "At the end of each episode, you will take a brief questionnaire on the activities that the Mole has done, such as what the Mole had for breakfast. The results will be tallied up, and the lowest scorer will be sent home. So, you could say that your main priority is to answer this question: Who is the Mole?"

"Golly this sounds really interesting. But I wonder how many other twists they'll be," Goombella wondered.

"So it's kind of like a mystery. Sounds right up my alley," Boo supposed.

"What was the maximum prize again?" Birdo questioned.

"Well," responded Monty, "the maximum prize can exceed over 500,000 coins."

Waluigi let out a low whistle. "Damn, that's a lot of money."

"I plan to win it all!" Junior cried.

"Now, I would like to know your opinions on the question that I asked you a minute ago. I want your answers to the question of the Mole's identity. Everyone, please write down three responses on your paper; two people you find suspicious and one who you find the most suspicious." Monty stated while handing around a basket with pens and half sheets of paper in it. Startled and hesitant, the players slowly wrote out their opinions.

**Boomer: **_What was this all about? Asked to identify suspects for the Mole on the first day! I hope this won't end up hurting my game or something else of that sort._

**Junior:**_ I can't help but wonder that this might be another sort of twist in the game. I wish I could tell what is coming next._

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go tally these up," Monty announced, before walking some distance away from the competitors.

"Why do you think that he asked us those questions?" Kooper pondered.

"I believe that these suspicions of ours will affect the game in some way, otherwise they wouldn't have asked all of us at the same time. Perhaps it will involve money or roles," Rosalina replied.

"How can you be so sure?" Boo asked distrustfully.

"Can you think of any other reason why he would want this kind of information so early?" Rosalina countered.

"Okay, the results are in!" Monty cut in, arriving back upon the scene. "The suspicious ones, in order of least to greatest votes, are Rosalina, Boo, and Waluigi. Congratulations, these positions will earn you special roles in your first mission. For now, Rosalina, Boo, please come with me so we can discuss your roles."

As Monty led the pair away for the briefing on their roles, the remaining players anxiously discussed the situation.

**Boo: **_In my eyes, Rosalina seems like a good candidate for the Mole. She always seems to predict what's going on in the game or what will happen next. The Mole would be informed on this kind of stuff by the producers, so it would make sense for her to know._

"What do you think these roles will get them?" Birdo asked. "Will they have the opportunity to earn money for themselves or something?

"Actually, I think that, based off of previous seasons, they might be offered exemptions, which are basically a free pass to the next round, in exchange for money from the team pot," Goombella responded.

"What!" Daisy screeched. "Are you serious?"

"Completely serious," Goombella replied.

"I hope that they don't end up sabotaging," Toadette said anxiously.

**Toadette: **_I believe that Goombella could be the Mole. She basically told us that she has seen other seasons of The Mole before. That knowledge could be real helpful if she was to turn out to be the Mole._

* * *

Meanwhile, Monty was debriefing the two players on their aspect of the mission. "This mission is called Garden Gunners. In it, the two of you will be attempting to get through the maze without getting shot by dart guns that the others will wield. If both of you make it to the other side unscathed, you will win 20,000. However, if one of you is hit, you will win only 10,000 coins, and if both of you are hit, all of the money will be lost. Your guns, on the other hand, will freeze them in place for 60 seconds."

"But why would the others even want to shoot us then? That makes no sense," Boo retorted, crossing his arms.

"This brings me to the main twist of the game; the other players will be told that they have to prevent you from reaching the end of the maze, as that will give them the money. In their version, either of you reaching the other results in no money earned and exemptions for you two. In addition, from this moment until the end of the challenge, you cannot speak a word to the other group that will be aiming at you."

"Wait, so we can't tell them?" Boo shouted, shocked.

"No, you cannot," Monty replied. "The producers here will suit you up in the equipment. Don't worry, it's fairly light. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go 'brief' the others."

Boo and Rosalina glanced at each other before realizing their predicament.

"Well, this could be a problem," Rosalina stated.

* * *

"Well, it's time for you players to learn about your side of the challenge!" Monty shouted while bursting upon the scene.

"Don't do that!" Toadette shouted. "Can't you be less creepy?"

"I apologize, that's just how we Monty Moles are. Now, for the game rules."

All of the players quickly quieted down and focused on Monty.

"This game is called Garden Gunners, and it is worth up to 20,000 coins." Monty paused as all of the players gasped at the value. "The other two players will be attempting to get through the maze that Peach's gardens create and reach the other side, and will be awarded exemptions, or free passes to the next round if they succeed."

"Are you serious?" Boomer exclaimed, startled.

**Boomer: **_Goombella just shot up in my suspect list. Coincidence that she knew what Rosalina and Boo would get? I think not._

"Yes, I am dead serious," Monty replied. "If either one of them makes it to the other side of the maze, the 20,000 coins will be lost as well."

"We have to eliminate them then!" Daisy cut in. "How do we do that?"

"I was just getting to that," Monty responded, a bit miffed. "You players will be given dart guns that will eliminate the opposition in one shot."

"Thank goodness, I was thinking that this mission was going to be a lost cause then," Junior heaved a sigh of relief.

"However, your opponents will be given weaponry as well. Their weaponry will freeze you in place for 60 seconds, leaving them free to pass by you. It is up to you to outmaneuver the competition," Monty finished.

"Wait, that's it!" Kooper responded. "There's no map or way to navigate the garden?"

"You'll find out about that in due time, Kooper. For now, Waluigi, come with me, we still have your role to discuss. The producers will suit you up." Monty answered before leading Waluigi away.

"This mission is going to be a real disaster," Birdo huffed.

**Kooper: **_This game is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would. I wonder how this challenge will end up turning out?_

**Goombella: **_I don't think that anyone else realized how suspicious Daisy's outburst was. It was as if she knew that there was a way to stop them outright._

**Birdo:**_ While everyone else is busy worrying about how Rosalina and Boo will react and they will affect the mission, I'm more worried about how Waluigi will end up shaking things up. Who knows what role he'll end up having?_

* * *

"So, Waluigi," the host started," I assume that you heard the rules back there, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm also pretty sure that's there's more to these rules than you let on, otherwise I wouldn't be here," he replied.

"Of course. Now, what I told all of you as a group is a complete lie."

"What!" Waluigi exclaimed.

**Waluigi: **_Okay, I admit that I knew there was more to the situation than Monty had let on. But I seriously did not expect there to be that big of a change. I especially did not expect him to be so blatant about it._

"The real way to win the money is for Rosalina and Boo to reach the exit successfully; 10,000 coins will be awarded for each one to make it unharmed, and they have no exemptions at stake," Monty continued. "Your role in this challenge will be special. You can communicate to either side from above in one of the castle towers, and give them directions through the maze; but one side and one side only."

"Is there a reason that I would want to help the side attempting to eliminate the players at all?" Waluigi retorted sarcastically.

"Actually, Waluigi, there is quite a big reason. If the two players are both to be eliminated, you will be awarded an exemption." Monty calmly responded. "Now, which communicator will you choose?" he asked, holding out his hands with a communicator on each one.

Waluigi stared at them both, hungrily thinking of the exemption, but also of the team pot. Stretching his hand outwards, he made his decision.

* * *

Monty arrived at the south entrance to the garden maze behind Peach's castle, where the anxious main group of seven was awaiting. The maze towered over them, topping out at an enormous 3 meters."You will receive a two minute head start into the maze, after which the other team will have a time limit of one hour in order to reach the exit of the maze by the back gate. As you have noticed, the guns are rather large and two handed, making it difficult to run while shooting, not to mention the reload. There are three entrances for the two to enter from, but this group is restricted to this one. Your time will start as soon as I can for the game to start. Any last questions?"

Daisy raised her hand. "Are we allowed to engage in physical combat?"

"Yes," the host answered, "although I would not recommend it. Now is everyone ready?"

All of the players looked at each other before Boomer nodded at the host. "Yeah, we're ready."

"In that case, your time starts…..NOW!" the host shouted, prompting the players to rush into the maze as fast as their feet could carry them, before they reached a three way fork in the path. Boomer immediately headed down the straight path before Daisy stopped the rest of the players before they could go anywhere.

"Monty said that there were three entrances, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Toadette replied.

"So I think that the best idea would be for us to split into three pairs and cover the three entrances, then eliminate them as they come in. What do you guys think?" Daisy queried.

"Sure, I'm down for that plan," Kooper answered.

"What if they outgun us though?" Goombella questioned.

"The maze isn't that large I think. I've been here before, and although the layout has changed, the maze size hasn't. If we shout, we should be able to hear each other. I'll take center right here." Daisy responded.

**Birdo: **_Daisy has so many possibilities for knowing our locations as a famous person that's it's just plain suspicious. And as a chain owner, what use does she even have for the money? Still, though, I also find Boomer suspicious. No one would suspect him; he's so outgoing and friendly. But he just shot into the maze, leaving us behind, while as a weapon's expert, he could have greatly helped us._

"I think that that's a great idea," agreed Birdo. "I'll take center with Daisy."

"I'll take left side then!" Junior said excitedly. "Kooper, you come with me," he continued while racing off down the left hand path.

"Um, okay, I guess," Kooper responded, jogging after Junior.

"I guess that leaves us to take the right side, Toadette," Goombella stated awkwardly. "Come on, let's hurry up before-"

"Boo and Rosalina are entering the maze! The one hour starts now," their host bellowed into the maze.

* * *

Boo and Rosalina looked at each other for a moment before Boo spoke. "What entrance do you want to go in from? I suggest the left or right because Monty said that they entered through the center, so logically, they would be closer to there."

Rosalina nodded. "I suggest that we take the right side path, although the decision is arbitrary after eliminating the center path.

**Rosalina: **_I don't trust Boo one bit. According to me, he is a likely suspect for the Mole, especially with his background as a Boo, as they are naturally secretive. However, I find Waluigi suspicious as well. He keeps well under the radar, even with his position in an important role. Then again, Kooper, Toadette, and even Birdo tend to stay under the radar. Choices, choices._

"Okay, right path it is," Boo agreed. They had hardly gone ten steps into the right hand path when they heard a crackling in their headsets the producers said was for emergencies. "Hello? Boo? Rosalina?"

The pair paused and glanced at each other briefly before Boo replied. "Is that you, Waluigi?"

"Yeah, it's me," Waluigi replied. "I'm apparently supposed to be your guide for the mission because you guys are at a major disadvantage," he lied smoothly. "I'm up in the north tower."

"Cool," Boo answered. "Which path do you recommend?"

"Just keep going down the ride hand path, but hurry-Goombella and Toadette are hurrying in to cover that entrance. The others are already covered."

"Why'd you keep that from us 'till now?" Boo exclaimed, before rushing forward, closely followed by Rosalina.

**Boo: **_Waluigi is quite the character. He hides under the radar all the time, but still gets picked as the most suspicious. That makes me wonder if It could be rigged. And while he says he's supposed to help us, he sits there and lets Goombella and Toadette cut us off. On the other hand, who came up with the idea of covering all of the entrances? That could have been the Mole's doing too….._

The pair rushed forwards, only to run into a fork in the road. "Straight or left, Waluigi?" Rosalina barked, poised to run.

"Straight!" He commanded, noticing Goombella and Toadette rushing in from the left. As Rosalina and Boo moved straight, he saw the former pair turn to follow them. "Hurry it up! Those two are on your tail!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Daisy and Birdo heard Toadette and Goombella shouting over by their side. "Quick, Birdo, let's go! They must have found them!" The pair raced off in the general direction of northeast, making for the ruckus.

* * *

On the other hand, Kooper and Junior appeared too far away. "Did you hear something?" Kooper asked. "I could have sworn that I heard Goombella screaming."

"You must be imagining things, Kooper. I didn't hear anything."

"But there's no point in staying here anyway, the game started and they obviously haven't come in from this direction." Kooper reasoned.

"I guess you're right," Junior admitted. "Let's go try to find the exit and cover that."

* * *

Goombella and Toadette were losing ground on Rosalina and Boo, being no match for a combination of their stamina and Waluigi's directions. "I don't think…..that we can ever…catch them," Toadette managed to get out between gasps.

"Come on…don't give up!" Goombella replied. "Wait, is that them…..coming out from that path they just went into?

Sure enough, Rosalina and Boo darted out of the path they went down. Soon, Goombella and Toadette saw why.

"I got you now!" They heard Boomer scream, while chasing them far more ferociously than either of the girls could.

"I think that…..Boomer's got them," Toadette panted, before sitting down. "We'll never catch them anyway."

"I guess that you're right," Goombella admitted before joining her.

"What the hell were you thinking Waluigi, running us into that maniac like that! If we don't do something fast, this mission is over!" Rosalina berated while sprinting from Boomer.

"Split up!" panted Boo. "I think we're near the exit, right Waluigi?"

"Yeah, you are," he stated, anxiously checking paths. "Boo, head diagonally left! Rosalina, head left!"

"Got it!" the pair replied in unison before splitting up at the next intersection. Boomer tore after Rosalina, slowly gaining ground. She turned a sharp right, running right into Daisy.

"Your time's up, girl." Daisy said before pulling the trigger.

"You're making a mistake."

"ROSALINA HAS BEEN ELIMINATED!" was heard as Monty's voice boomed through the maze

Boo tore through the maze at a voracious pace, eating up ground. "Damn! I'm almost there though…..there it is!"

Just as he neared the end, he spotted movement on the left.

"You're mine!" Junior yelled, right before Boo stopped, loaded, and fired in one quick movement.

"JUNIOR HAS BEEN RENDERED IMMOBILE!" the host announced throughout the maze.

"You forgot….one thing," Boo turned around at the sound of a quiet, panting voice.

He spun around, loaded and fired as Kooper did the same.

* * *

Monty brought the group into the grand entrance hall of Peach's castle, with light pink and pale yellow brick walls giving the room a warm and beautiful appearance. However, the players were too tense about the results of the challenge to notice the attractiveness.

"Come on already!" Boomer burst out. "Just tell us the results."

"Don't worry, you will soon know," Monty calmly replied. "Is everyone here?"

The players looked at each other before Daisy spoke up. "Yeah, we're all here. Stop stalling, please."

"As you wish," Monty responded. "At the very end of the maze, Boo and Kooper were both the only obstacle in each other's way. However, only one of them successfully hit the opponent."

"Who was it?" Toadette queried anxiously.

"Kooper had fired first," Monty stated, watching as the hunters cheered, with the exception of Kooper himself. "However, only Boo hit the target." The whole group was instantly silenced.

"You mean that we lost?" Birdo quietly spoke.

"No, we-," Rosalina started before Monty interrupted.

**Birdo:** _Rosalina shows her all-knowing side once again. Although it does make sense for once, at least._

"Actually," reassured Monty, "the challenge was won." Continuing over the hunters' confused looks, he spoke. "Partially, that is. The real objective of the game was for the two hunted to make it to the end successfully. 10,000 coins would have been awarded for each one of them to reach the exit safely within the hour."

"Wha….." Junior said weakly.

"So there were no exemptions at stake?" Goombella interrogated.

"To the two players, no," Monty mysteriously answered. "But there was one exemption at stake. Waluigi was told what the actual mission was and led to the tower. He could direct one side from the vantage point and help them. He would receive an exemption if both Boo and Rosalina were to be eliminated."

"Are you serious?" Boo exclaimed. "He told us that he was assigned to help us!"

**Boo: **_Waluigi lied to us during the challenge.I don't even know why, it served him no purpose. It seemed like an idiotic thing to do, unless he had some hidden reasoning behind it._

"Thankfully, however, he decided to help Boo and Rosalina, rather unselfishly," Monty continued, "and so Boo was able to reach the finish."

"At least we got half of the money, right guys?" Boomer comforted.

"In answer to that, not quite Boomer." Monty interjected. "The hunted players were also instructed not to speak to the hunters. However, Rosalina quite clearly communicated with Daisy, resulting in a 1,000 coin penalty."

"Well, isn't that just dandy," Waluigi muttered.

"This has got to be staged," Daisy groaned.

**Daisy:** _Rosalina's comment before she was eliminated was just unnecessary. She lost us 1 000 coins, and it's not like she could have changed the results at that point anyway. But, maybe she allowed herself to be caught…..?_

"In the end, the time limit didn't matter, as Boo arrived with a lengthy twenty seven minutes and eighteen seconds left on the clock, ensuring 9,000 coins into the team pot." Monty finished.

**Challenge Results:**

Money Won: 10 000 – 1 000 = 9 000

Team Pot: 9 000 coins.

"Did the Mole sabotage?" Kooper wondered. "Or are we just that bad at working together as a group?"

"Today's activities were laden with all kinds of suspicious activity." Monty started, drawing the attention of the players. "Boomer headed right into the maze after the mission started. Was he simply trying to do what he thought was best, or was he secretly planning an ambush?"

"I was just following the rules!" he spluttered in reply.

"Or what about Daisy? She took charge of the group, and came up with a strategy that almost ended up losing the money."

"Not my fault you decided not to tell us what was going on!" she retorted angrily.

"Rosalina also had some suspicious actions. Not only was she cornered despite the aid of Waluigi, she broke the rules of the challenge to cost further money."

"I have no justification for my actions other than that I tried my best," she coolly answered.

"And let's not forget about Waluigi. Perhaps it was his fault that Rosalina was trapped so easily. Shouldn't he have seen Daisy coming? Maybe helping the hunted was just a cover up."

"I did the best I could. It's not easy to follow all the action from all the way up there." He replied while crossing his arms.

"Not to mention that the Mole also could have decided to lay low for this challenge. No one is beyond suspicion. Now, follow me, Princess Peach has graciously allowed us to use the east guest wing during our stay in Toad Town. I'm sure that you'll enjoy your rooms."

The players gave each other suspicious glances, reluctant to follow.

**Junior:** _Kooper is the one that suggested that we leave the entrance and go find Boo and Rosalina. Thanks to him, we almost ended up losing what money we did gain. His missed shot at Boo could have been some kind of cover up._

**Kooper:** _Junior is the one who suggested that we go to cover the exit. If it hadn't been for his idea, we would never have gotten that close to eliminating Boo. I wonder if that was his ploy as the Mole or an innocent idea._

**Waluigi:** _As much as I would like to narrow down my list, I realized that everyone is suspicious at this point in the game. However, I find Boo a suspect of choice. He seemed just a little too good during the challenge, if you know what I mean…_

**Daisy:** _I find it very hard to believe that Waluigi was unable to better guide Boo and Rosalina despite his highly elevated position. He should have easily been able to see what was happening. But come to think of it, pretty much all of the girls are suspicious. Goombella has previous knowledge of this game, and a sharp intelligence, and can use her physical weakness for an excuse in the physical challenges. Toadette seems to stay out of the spotlight, and no one seems to suspect her. Rosalina always seems to know what's going to happen next, even when the rest of us are confused. Even Birdo is suspicious. Where did she disappear to during that challenge? She was supposed to be with me._

**Toadette:** _I'm not sure who to suspect at this point. There were plenty of suspicious actions throughout the activity. However, I believe that Boomer could be a really good choice for the Mole. No one would suspect with his friendliness, and he had a good opportunity to sabotage all by himself in the maze. He's also responsible at least in part for the elimination of Rosalina, although she also is plenty suspicious._

**Goombella:** _Daisy is getting more and more suspicious as the game goes on. Thanks to her plan, we almost lost all of the money that we could have earned. She also has the potential to succeed in activities that are physical based, allowing her to succeed while secretly sabotaging others._

**Rosalina: **_While everyone else is busing basing their suspicions on what they saw already, I plan to keep an open mind and gather more information on the different events before I decide anything. A hasty decision could lead to an early elimination._

"Come on, we don't have all day!" Monty's voice prompted the players to follow him into the east wing.

* * *

**So, the player's game starts out with a half win, or loss depending on your view. The game will only get harder for them from here on out though. ;)**

**If you have time, feel free to drop a review with your thought, both on your favorites and suspicions, and also if you have any suggestions. That's it for now, see you readers next time!**


	2. Botanical Belongings

**Princess Toady: **Yeah, I vaguely remember there being some present tense. I thought that I fixed it, but obviously not, lol. they certainly do start out the game leaping right in, don't they? :) Bowser Jr. being annoying wouldn't happen to have anything do to with his recent activities in the Chai kingdom would it? Hmm. Yup, in the beginning, I was hoping to just start off the game with a bang, but there's a little more character development and a little less action in this chapter. Your alliance might come to fwork, but considering the way of the Mole, you never know if they'll make it! :p Not expecting much in terms of suspicion, but I honestly see Daisy as kinda in that position too. Although I won't say if that's good or not. Thanks for the review, and np for the mention!

**Marioman: **Thank you for the review! I honestly was expecting even one at this early stage, and I get not one, but two! Score! I try to provide as many viewpoints as possible, so that the viewers have enough to base their suspicions off of as possible. Birdo was left out on purpose though, although I won't say why. ;) I really enjoy the host magically appearing too, so I try to put it in as much as possible. I had great fun deciding what colors to make the limos, and I was also considering some designed ones too, lol. I see your suspicions are based on the monetary cost to the pot, not a bad strategy to use, unless the mole didn't sabotage in this first challenge. Lol, I Boo's one of my favorites also, although that could be a good or a bad thing. I definitely have plans for a food based challenge down the road, though it might take some time. Again, thanks for the response!

* * *

Previously on The Mole, 10 unique players all arrived at Peach's Castle, the first location, to achieve a non-unique goal: utilize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in, and win, this game show and over 500 000 coins.

"_So it's kind of like a mystery. Sounds right up my alley," Boo supposed._

_Waluigi let out a low whistle. "Damn, that's a lot of money."_

"_I plan to win it all!" Junior cried._

Little did they know, however, that this game wasn't going to start off slow and smooth.

"_Now, I would like to know your opinions on the question that I asked you a minute ago. I want your answers to the question of the Mole's identity. Everyone, please write down three responses on your paper; two people you find suspicious and one who you find the most suspicious." Monty stated._

_**Boomer:**__What was this all about? Asked to identify suspects for the Mole on the first day!_

The most suspicious were quickly decided, but with a twist the players, or most of them, weren't expecting.

"_Okay, the results are in!" Monty cut in, arriving back upon the scene. "The suspicious ones, in order of least to greatest votes, are Rosalina, Boo, and Waluigi. Congratulations, these positions will earn you special roles in your first mission."_

In fact, these roles were the most crucial to the success of the mission, ironically given to the distrusted.

"_This mission is called Garden Gunners. In it, the two of you will be attempting to get through the maze without getting shot by dart guns that the others will wield."_

"_But why would the others even want to shoot us then? That makes no sense," Boo retorted, crossing his arms._

"_This brings me to the main twist of the game; the other players will be told that they have to prevent you from reaching the end of the maze, as that will give them the money. In their version, either of you reaching the other results in no money earned and exemptions for you two."_

While two exemptions were made up, however, one was very real.

"_The real way to win the money is for Rosalina and Boo to reach the exit successfully; 10,000 coins will be awarded for each one to make it unharmed, and they have no exemptions at stake," Monty continued. "Your role in this challenge will be special. You can communicate to either side from above in one of the castle towers, and give them directions through the maze; but one side and one side only."_

"_Is there a reason that I would want to help the side attempting to eliminate the players at all?" Waluigi retorted sarcastically._

"_Actually, Waluigi, there is quite a big reason. If the two players are both to be eliminated, you will be awarded an exemption." Monty calmly responded. "Now, which communicator will you choose?"_

In the end, Waluigi was able to resist his temptation, but even with his help, the challenge was not fully won.

"_Thankfully, however, he decided to help Boo and Rosalina, rather unselfishly," Monty continued, "and so Boo was able to reach the finish."_

"_At least we got half of the money, right guys?" Boomer comforted._

"_In answer to that, not quite Boomer." Monty interjected. "The hunted players were also instructed not to speak to the hunters. However, Rosalina quite clearly communicated with Daisy, resulting in a 1,000 coin penalty."_

"_Well, isn't that just dandy," Waluigi muttered._

All of the suspicious actions have left the players in not much better shape than they began.

_**Rosalina:**__I don't trust Boo one bit. According to me, he is a likely suspect for the Mole, especially with his background as a Boo, as they are naturally secretive. However, I find Waluigi suspicious as well. He keeps well under the radar, even with his position in an important role. Then again, Kooper, Toadette, and even Birdo tend to stay under the radar. Choices, choices._

Now, the players will continue searching for the elusive answer to the one all-important question:

Who is the Mole?

**First Name: Boomer**

Surname: Bro

Birthday: October 12

Occupation: Weapons Specialist

**First Name: Toadette**

Surname: Chanterelle

Birthday: May 22

Occupation: College Student

**First Name: Boo**

Surname: Vaninto

Birthday: December 13

Occupation: Spy

**First Name: Birdo**

Surname: Sauria

Birthday: September 3

Occupation: Jeweler

**First Name: Junior**

Surname: Bowser

Birthday: March 30

Occupation: Artist

**First Name: Goombella**

Surname: Capricorn

Birthday: January 26

Occupation: Informational Writer

**First Name: Daisy**

Surname: Sarasa

Birthday: July 17

Occupation: Floral Chain Owner

**First Name: Kooper**

Surname: Shellsby

Birthday: June 24

Occupation: Exploration Assistant

**First Name: Rosalina**

Surname: Nova

Birthday: February 6

Occupation: Cosmologist

**First Name: Waluigi**

Surname: Amello

Birthday: August 31

Occupation: Government Hacker

Episode 1, Part 2: Botanical Belongings

"So here we are, the east guest wing," Monty informed the players while leading them onward. "Classified as Wing 1-7, due its placement as the seventh wing on the first floor, this is where we'll being during our stay in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Wow, it's so pretty!" Toadette gushed. "Is the whole castle like this? Can we explore it?"

"Not at the moment, I'm afraid," Monty answered, "but you can in due time."

"Is there a showcase for the rare Mushroom jewels?" Birdo queried excitedly. "As a jeweler, it would be a-maz-ing to be able to see those beauties!"

"Again, all in due time," Monty replied. "At the moment, you have to decide the rooming conditions. There are ten of you players, as you have no doubt noticed, but there are only 5 room keys, as you can see here." He dangled the room keys in front of them. "The question is, who do you want to share with?"

Before anyone else could make a move, Boomer stepped up. "I'll take the first room!" he ran up enthusiastically.

"Very well, you are in room 1-712." Monty handed him the room key.

"I'll take the second one!" Daisy accepted the key from Monty. "Room 1-713. You want to share, Toadette?"

"Sure, I don't mind," she responded nonchalantly, walking up to her. Just as the duo was about to head to their room, Monty halted them.

"There will be one more activity we have to take care of before you may inspect your new rooming conditions. In the meantime, there are still three room keys available."

"I guess I'll take one as well," Kooper decided, receiving one from Monty. "Sweet! 1-714. Triple sevens."

"I'm guessing you like sevens, then" Rosalina gracefully picked up the fourth key, to room 1-715, from Monty. "Perhaps you would care to share a room, Birdo?"

"Okay." Birdo moved to stand next to Rosalina.

**Birdo: **_Although I really don't want to room with Rosalina, cause there kinda seems something off about her, it would be a good time to keep an eye on her actions. I really wish it was someone else, though._

**Rosalina: **_This would be a good time to get some information on Birdo, as well as from her regarding the mission. Specifically on the actions of the other players._

"I suppose that I'll take the final room key if no one else wants it," Boo was passed the key to room 1-716 by Monty. "Waluigi, you want to join?"

"Sure, why not?" Waluigi shrugged, and then joined Boo.

"I'll go with Boomer if no one minds." Junior cast a quick glance around, taking in Boomer's uncaring nod of the head before walking over.

"Well, I believe that just leaves us, Kooper," Goombella stated before the two moved over to the left, forming a circle around Monty.

"Now, as for the activity," Monty started, seeing that everyone had their attention focused on him, "you will actually be receiving some items that will end up proving very useful to you during your stay here on The Mole."

"Let me guess-it's going to be our journals, am I right?" Goombella interjected.

"Why, yes, you are indeed correct." Monty said in reply. "You will indeed be receiving journals for you to write down your thoughts in over the course of the game."

**Toadette:** _Once again, Goombella uses her knowledge of the game to predict what will happen next. I can't help but wonder though; is it actually a prediction?_

"Here I have 10 journals in all." Monty lifted a basket off of a side table that no one had noticed earlier. "Everyone, if you could please pick a journal."

Goombella received the basket first, and carefully considered her options prior to selecting a green trimmed journal with the number "3" emblazoned on it.

**Goombella: **_The journals with five different colors of trim: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I knew from watching other seasons of The Mole that green usually means something positive, so naturally I picked one of the green ones._

Kooper received the basket next, and chose the notebook "2", which had a yellow trim.

**Kooper: **_The way Goombella was looking at the basket, I can't help but wonder if the different notebooks will affect the game in any way._

Daisy and Toadette received the basket soon afterwards, and selected matching purple notebooks with the numbers "5" and "10" on them, respectively.

"Does our notebook choice have anything to do with our next challenge?" Rosalina inquired while looking though the notebooks.

"Possibly, but you will find out in due time anyway," Monty mysteriously answered.

Frowning slightly at the host's answer, Rosalina decided upon the second green notebook, containing the number "8".

Her roommate Birdo decided to take the red trimmed notebook labelled "6", before passing the basket over to Boomer and Junior.

Boomer didn't even hesitate before selecting the blue notebook numbered "9", while Junior paused a moment before selecting the other yellow notebook labelled "7".

**Boomer: **_What can I say? While everyone else thought through their choices carefully, I just picked the one that was my favorite color._

Accepting the basket from Junior, Waluigi selected the other red notebook with the "1" and handed Boo the second blue notebook labelled "4", then passing the now empty basket back to Monty.

Monty replaced the basket on the side table, speaking up directly afterwards. "By now, all of you have heard the term exemption spoken before, but do you know what plus and minus ones and other numbers are?" Noticing some of the players' curious looks, he went on to explain. "They basically add or subtract points from your final score at the end of the episode, either increasing or decreasing your chances of moving onto the next round."

"I assume that this explanation has something to do with the journals we just selected, right?" Boo cut in.

"To some extent, yes." Monty pulled two yellow cards out of his pocket. "These cards here are called neutralizers," the mole explained. "What they do is prevent the holder from earning any exemptions or plus ones during the course of the episode that they received them in. However, at the same time, you are protected from receiving any minus ones as well."

"Wait, so are you telling me…" Goombella started before trailing off.

"That these neutralizers will be awarded to the players will the yellow trim notebooks, specifically Kooper and Junior? Yes, I am." Monty handed the cards to the mentioned players.

"Wait, so these don't affect our games at all?" Kooper questioned, flipping the card over before tucking it into his shell. "Unless we have the opportunity to earn a reward or receive something bad?"

"Precisely," Monty stated in response. "Now, you may go to your rooms, although lunch starts in about 20 minutes," the host continued after glancing at his watch. "I'm sure you're all hungry after your first mission."

"Yeah, I'm starving!" Boomer exclaimed. His stomach let out a loud growl afterwards, inciting laughter from the rest of the crew. "Aw, come on!" His face flushed slightly red, embarrassed.

"Come on, *giggle*, let's go Toadette," Daisy managed in between laughs, leading the way to their room, followed by the rest of the players soon after.

**Junior: **_To tell the truth, a neutralizer at this stage of the game doesn't sound too bad. Although I can't earn any bonuses, at this early stage, it's not like it really matters. Everyone is still a suspect to everyone else at this point. A good strategy would honestly probably be a better bet._

**Daisy: **_I found Goombella to be fairly suspicious during that activity. She spent a lot of time choosing her notebook, as if she knew it could be important. Even if it is her background knowledge, that could be an even better cover up. Sure, other players were also picking carefully, but they went afterwards, and probably just picked up on her reaction. Although Rosalina keeps popping up whenever suspicions are involved….._

* * *

In room 712, Boomer was polishing his boomerangs while Junior was flipping through the pages of his journal. Going back to the first page, he glanced at Boomer and then back down at the paper before speaking up. "Say, who do you suspect for possible Moles so far?"

Boomer didn't look up from polishing his boomerangs. "Goombella is a possibility, I guess."

Junior sighed. "If you share your suspicions, I'll share mine," he offered.

Boomer put his boomerangs down on the side table before looking up at Junior. "Deal. But you first."

"Okay, so I suspect mainly three people at this point, although anyone could really be the Mole," Junior acquiesced to his demand. "First there's Waluigi, who always seems to stay in and out of the spotlight at the same time, yet got the most important role. He also led that challenge to a loss. Then there's Goombella, who is just plain suspicious in general with her knowledge of the game. Finally, there's Kooper, who is responsible for almost losing the 9 000 coins we did win with his urging to try to find the hunted players and leave the exit."

Boomer blinked. "Wow, that is a lot more developed than any suspicions that I have."

Junior groaned. "Just tell me what you have so far."

"Well, I kind of suspect Goombella for her knowledge of the game too, and your details also lead me to suspect Waluigi. But there's also Daisy with her leading of the group, and Rosalina with her insight and everyone else too, and I'm just not sure at all." Boomer admitted.

**Boomer: **_Although I was telling the truth when I told Junior my suspicions, I didn't mention the suspicion that I had on him as well. He seems like a kind of all-around person, not good at any one thing. Although that would be useful for a player, it would be even more useful for the Mole, as he would be able to consistently just pull through or fail, and be overshadowed by both the people strong and weak in that area._

**Junior:**_ I'm not convinced that any one of my suspects is the Mole. I plan to keep an open mind even while I focus on their activities._

* * *

Daisy and Toadette were still laughing as they entered room 713.

"Why are *giggle*, we even *giggle* laughing so much?" Toadette squeaked out between laughs.

"I'm…..not sure, actually," Daisy replied after getting control of her laughter. "So what do you think of the game so far? Are you having fun?"

"Yup!" Toadette answered enthusiastically. "How about you, what do you think so far?"

"I like it too. I just wish it wasn't so darn complicated," Daisy complained before leaping onto her bed.

"Same here. Also, this journal is kind of redundant, considering that I have at least three more in my suitcase. Oh well, I guess I have more space to write in then!"

Daisy sat up suddenly. "You're a writer?" she asked, interested.

"Well, not really. Sometimes I write short stories for my brother Toad, he likes them a lot. I really prefer reading though, which is why I hope we can go to the library here is Peach's castle. I hear it occupies half of the third floor!"

**Toadette: **While most other people seem to be so focused on discovering who the Mole is, I'm taking the time to enjoy the game as it comes and indulge in the beauty of the locations. If I somehow make it to the end, I won't have the time to be able to enjoy as much anymore.

* * *

Room 714 had Kooper writing furiously in his journal, while Goombella took the time to explore their new surroundings. Kooper looked up after a moment to watch Goombella.

"Are you looking for something in particular?" he asked, scratching his head.

Goombella winced as she hit her head on the side table after checking under the bed. "Just looking to see if the Mole left any notes, by chance."

Kooper gave her a curious look. "Wait, why would the Mole leave any notes behind? Wouldn't they want to cover their tracks and avoid leaving anything behind?"

"Well actually," Goombella informed him, "the Mole occasionally leaves notes behind, usually in the form of cryptic clues and hints, sometimes in the open, and sometimes hidden. They're basically notes from the Mole to us."

"Oh, that makes sense," Kooper answered after a moment.

**Kooper: **_While Goombella's description of the Mole's notes seems pretty concise and probable, I find it hard to believe that they would just leave them lying around in random rooms near the beginning of the game. Unless Goombella is the Mole and either plans to do it or wants to confuse me._

* * *

Meanwhile, Rosalina and Birdo were both doing their own thing in room 715. As she read the book she had brought with her, Of Mice and Men, Birdo watched Rosalina out of the corner of her eye. Rosalina appeared to beunpacking her suitcase, but looked up as she felt Birdo's gaze.

"Did you require anything?" she asked the dinosaur politely.

Birdo jumped, not expecting her to start a conversation. "Uhh, no, not really. I was just, um, wondering if you would maybe share your suspicions on candidates for the Mole."

Rosalina gave Birdo a beautiful but mysterious smile in response before returning to her unpacking.

"I guess that's a "no" then," Birdo mumbled under her breath.

**Birdo: **_Rosalina just plain strikes me as odd. I don't get what she wants to achieve by being all mysterious, unless she's pretending to be the Mole, or trying to get us to believe she's pretending to be the Mole, or…..UGH! This game is so stressful!_

* * *

Room 716 was home to Waluigi and Boo already discussing their suspicions.

"I have my early suspects as Daisy and Toadette," Boo explained to Waluigi, carefully keeping out his suspicions on the lanky man himself. "Daisy because she basically led us to failure and Toadette because she's always under the radar whenever you look at the group overall."

The man in purple nodded slowly. "I agree with the suspicions on Daisy, but I suspect Birdo rather than Toadette. While it's true that Toadette is really one of the quiet ones, I really want to know what Birdo was doing during the mission. Apparently she was supposed to be with Daisy, but she just plain disappeared."

"While Birdo disappearing was pretty suspicious, "Boo agreed, "In the end, it didn't really affect the mission in any way. I think that she could have been trying to pretend to be the Mole, but since she didn't know the twist, she ended up failing to be as suspicious as she could have."

"That may be true," Waluigi replied deep in thought.

"ATTENTION PLAYERS, PLEASE REPORT TO THE DINING ROOM WITHIN 10 MINUTES TO AVOID ANY PENALTIES!" The host's voice was heard in the room. "THERE IS A MAP OF THE CASTLE IN THE WING THAT SHOULD PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING LOST!"

"Well, I guess we'd better go," Boo spoke after waiting a moment to make sure Monty was finished. "We don't want to lose any money."

**Boo: **_Waluigi isn't one of the top suspects on my list at the moment, but there's just something odd about him. On the other hand, he seems to be a bit more out in the open and suspicious than a Mole would want themselves to be._

* * *

Monty glanced around the table, making sure that everyone was there, and then clearing his throat. "First thing, everyone was here on time, so there will be no penalties awarded." He paused as some of the players cheered for a moment. "Now, before we start the lunch, there is something that I need to bring to your attention."

"Just spit it out already!" Boomer burst out, before realizing everyone was giving him weird looks. "I'm sorry; I just get real impatient when I'm hungry."

"No harm done," Monty reassured, "and let's wrap this up quickly so that Boomer can finally get started eating."

"Thank you," Boomer sighed, while Daisy and Toadette giggled.

"So, here I have a note from the Mole themselves," Monty opened, while pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket. "I'll read it out loud as soon as everyone is ready." He glanced around, noticing Toadette and Kooper with their journals out and pencils poised before starting.

"Hi there everyone, Mole here! The game has just started, and I already have sabotaged. Or have I? Sorry, you won't find this note very helpful unless you find yourself to be good riddle solver.

This note was mostly meant to give you this helpful set of numbers: 18-15-09-14-21-10.

Do with it what you will, although you'll find that it serves more than one purpose. Be careful when you choose what those uses are. Assuming that you can find those purposes, that is. Au revoir for now, although you'll from hearing from me again.

-None other than the Mole"

"What kind of hogwash was that?" Boomer exclaimed, after a short pause.

**Boomer: **_All I got from that note was the numbers, and they weren't exactly given a use. That wasn't as helpful as I was hoping it would be at all._

Monty straightened out the folded page one last time before passing it around the group. "The first note from the Mole is always the least helpful. Or most helpful, depending on your view." Monty cryptically spoke in answer. "It could be the least helpful because of the little time you've had to adapt to the game, or the most helpful because you are one of the few to have adapted already."

Waluigi inspected the paper closely before passing it along. "So, can we have the food now? I'm really hungry. Like, Boomer hungry."

The rest of the group laughed, everyone glancing briefly at the note before passing it along. Monty put the not in his pocket when it came back to him, and looked around at the players. "So, without any further delay, Boomer and Waluigi can now fill their stomachs." As he finished, a toad dressed it a suit walked up to their table with an armful of menus.

"Hello, I'm Class E. Toad, and I'll be your host for tonight. Your appetizers have already been selected by Mr. Monty, to lessen the delay." He paused as two similarly dressed toads gracefully moved up to the table and gently placed the aforementioned plates of edibles on the table, then moving back to where they came from as silently as they had come. "Today's special is the Yoshi's Island Salad. Made exclusively from fruits and greens found on Yoshi's Island, this salad has a very sweet taste, along with a tangy sauce that will excite the taste buds."

"Hey, where did Monty go?" Boo suddenly spoke up. "He's not here anymore."

"It seems that he may already have eaten, or that he was called away to fulfill his duties as host," Rosalina answered, carefully looking through the menu she had received.

**Rosalina:** _In this game, giving away too much information could be troublesome for you. Following that logic, I didn't tell the other competitors that I had a feeling the host was preparing the next challenge. Not yet, anyway._

* * *

"Oh yeah, that food really hit the spot," Boomer, stated as he walked into Room 712, satisfied. "My only wish is that I could have eaten more."

"As much as I want to laugh at that statement, I feel the exact same way," Junior voiced his assent as he followed Boomer in. "Hey, wait a minute, where's my bag? I could have sworn that I left it right next to the bed….."

"Let's look for it," Boomer suggested. "Maybe you moved it somewhere else."

* * *

"I can't find it anywhere!" Daisy searched the whole room, turning it upside down. "Do you think that someone stole it? But why would they? And this is Peach's castle, how would robbers just waltz in?"

"Honestly," Toadette replied, relaxing on her bed, "I think that the producers must have taken it. Although for the part about waltzing in, it isn't exactly difficult for Bowser, you know?"

Daisy stood up, brushing back her hair, which had gotten in her face during the wild search. "I think you're right. I just hope that the producers don't do anything too drastic to my stuff."

"Eh, I doubt they will." Toadette rolled over to face Daisy. "Although now you've got me worried."

**Toadette: **_Aw, man, I hope the producers don't do anything too major with our bags. Although I unpacked most of my stuff, Daisy didn't, and it wouldn't be nice if something happened to her stuff._

* * *

In room 714, Kooper and Goombella were discussing possibilities for what had happened to their bags. "I think that they're going to be used in some sort of challenge, although for what, I have no idea," Goombella voiced her opinions."

"Maybe Monty will use them for motivation in a challenge?" Kooper pondered possible answers. "Or perhaps they'll end up offering an exemption for the person to find the most?"

"I think it's likely that we have to earn them, based on other seasons," Goombella answered.

**Kooper:** _I knew I should have unpacked my bag when I came into my room. Now I'm paying the price for my lack of attention to the possibilities of the game._

* * *

Rosalina was calmly writing in her journal in Room 715, while Birdo was anxiously, and unsuccessfully trying to determine the location of her bag. "It's not in the closet; it's not in the bathroom, where could it be?" Birdo muttered to herself, feverishly searching.

"I should have thought that it was obvious that the producers took them," Rosalina answered evenly, not looking up from her journal.

"That still doesn't explain why you're just sitting the-oh," Birdo realized.

**Birdo: **_All of a sudden, I remember seeing Rosalina unpack every single object from her suitcase and put the empty bag in front of her side table. At first, I thought nothing of it, but now I wonder…._

* * *

Room 716 contained both Waluigi and Boo making some small chat with each other.

"My bet is that the producers took our baggage for some kind of challenge," Boo started.

Waluigi nodded. "Same. Thankfully, I took out all of the essentials already, but I don't have more than one change of clothes."

"I don't think they would take them too long, though." Boo thought aloud. "In fact, I expect to receive an announcement from Monty any sec-"

"ATTENTION PLAYERS OF THE MOLE! YOUR PRESENENCE IS REQUIRED IN THE WEST GARDEN! YOUR HOST IS AWAITING YOU THERE!"

Boo smirked. "There it is."

* * *

All the players had assembled in the west garden, but there is no sign of Monty.

"How unpunctual of him," Goombella remarked. "It's not like hi-"

"Hello everyone, sorry for the wait!" Monty burst upon the scene from directly behind Goombella, electing a scream from her. "I was setting up the challenge."

"Can you…..be any less…..sudden?" Goombella squeaked out, trying to catch her breath.

"I apologize. Now as you players have no doubt noticed by this point, your bags are no longer in your rooms. In fact, if you look carefully, you can see them up there." Monty pointed away from the castle to above a set of warp pipes. "Hanging onto poles about 30 feet above these Piranha Plant containing pipes, are all ten of your bags." The players turned to face them in a flash, startled by this turn of events.

"Wait, our bags are hanging above those plants which will eat them without a second thought!" Toadette screamed.

"That's just…..why would they be up there?" Waluigi asked, shocked.

**Waluigi: **_I can't believe the producers would pull something like this! I suspected they would be used for some purpose, but this drastically!"_

"Do you mean that you have not realized it yet?" Rosalina replied curiously. "This is quite apparently part of our next challenge."

"Rosalina is correct," the host continued, undeterred. "They are part of your next challenge, called Piranha Possessions. In this challenge, you will be split into five separate pairs, all of whom have an important role in this challenge. One pair will be chained to these warp pipes." Monty motioned to a pair of yellow warp pipes on the edge of the garden. "Their jobs will be to retrieve the bags from above the pipes by climbing the poles and bringing them down, and put them down the warp pipes they were chained to." Monty waved at the 15 bags hanging over the pipes.

"Wait a minute, but there's 15 bags," Goombella protested.

"Exactly." Monty pulled out a card from his pocket. "Here, I have an exemption. In one of the bags, there is a similar card. The player who pulls down that bag will get to keep the exemption." All of the players suddenly tensed up. "This challenge is also worth a total of 10 000 coins, with 2 500 being found in each of the remaining four unaccounted bags."

"Who's going to be in what role?" Junior asked, attention on the mole.

**Junior: **_I knew I couldn't get the exemption myself, thanks to the neutralizer I picked up earlier. But if the roles are predetermined, I can use that to base further suspicions._

"And how are the players going to get released?" Daisy queried.

"That's where the rest of the roles come into play," Monty answered, "and as for the players in each role, you'll discover that later. The remaining four pairs will receive a clue to the location of three codes and a key; two of the codes will be releasing the chained players, the third code, when entered into the device over there," Monty pointed to a device, similar to a calculator, on a rod at about waist height for Waluigi, "will reveal what the contents of each bag are, and, finally, the key will unlock the garden shed, which contains a ladder that the two chained players can use to reach the bags more easily. There will be a total of 90 minutes for you to accomplish this mission."

"What happens to the bags that aren't rescued in time?" Birdo questioned anxiously.

"They will be released from the pole and fall into the pipes with the Piranha Plants," the host answered gravely.

**Boo: **_I realized that the players who got picked to rescue bags would have the advantage of being able to save their own bags while the rest of us would have no choice but to watch._

"Now," Monty went on, forestalling any further interruptions, "the pairs have already been decided. As the pair who picked the green lined journals, the color of bonuses, Goombella and Rosalina will be the players climbing to get the bags."

**Boomer: **_Right away, I was worried with the division of the roles. Goombella and Rosalina were not the people I would have picked to do any climbing._

"The rest of the divisions will be as follows; the red notebook pair, Waluigi and Birdo, will be in charge of receiving the code to free Rosalina." Waluigi and Birdo seemed apathetic towards the arrangement. "The yellow pair, Kooper and Junior, will be tasked with retrieving the combination to free Goombella." Kooper and Junior gave each other a quick glance before returning their attention to Monty.

**Rosalina: **_One thing that I quickly noticed was that Junior and Kooper tend to get matched together often. Could it be a coincidence, or is there some ulterior motive?_

"The blue duo, Boomer and Boo, will be responsible for coming back with the code for the contents of the bag."

"We got this, Boo!" Boomer cheered enthusiastically.

"And finally, the purple notebook pair, Daisy and Toadette, is in the position of key hunting." Monty finished. "I have four envelopes here, clues for each of the four pairs. When I hand them to you, kindly do not open them until the challenge has started." The mole took four envelopes out from his pocket, and handed them to Boomer, Daisy, Waluigi, and Kooper. "One last note; no players except the pair charged with retrieving the bags may cross the 40 yard span between these two yellow pipes and the green ones below the bags. Any questions?" Seeing no one had any, Monty wrapped up the conversation. "The challenge will start as soon as the bag retrievers are secured to the pipes."

Two producers quickly approached the group, and motioning to Rosalina and Goombella to stand up to the warp pipes, quickly secured them with rather heavy chains.

**Goombella:** _Although they didn't hurt, I found the chains to be quite irritating. I could only hope for a quick release, both for the sake of the mission and myself._

"Is everyone ready?" Monty asked, giving the group one last look. Seeing no signs to stop, he ended the inactivity. "In that case, your time starts…NOW!"

The players immediately sprang into action, tearing open their envelopes to begin the mission.

* * *

**How will the players' challenge go? Only time will tell, as we will find out on the next episode of The Mole: Cunning Conniver! So, don't forget to leave a review if you have the time, especially with any suggestions, root for your favorites, and try to discover who the Mole is! That's all for now, so I'll see you readers next time! **


	3. Confusing Clues and Characteristics

**Princess Toady:** I see you're still suspecting Daisy, nice sleuthing with that clue by the way, although I can't confirm whether it's an actual clue or not without ruining the story. You have a bad history with picking the Moles? Well I'll just say that I find you to be a kind of model reader, although I'm probably extremely biased because there are so few viewers anyway. :p Birdo does seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, forced to rely on herself for her deductions, and with the next execution coming up, she'll need to step up her game. Goombella appears to be your favorite so far, not that it wasn't obvious.:)

**Marioman:** First of all, I'd like to thank you for your extreme continued support of this story! It doesn't seem to be getting too many viewers, which I guess is to be expected as a new writer, but having even a couple of dedicated readers is a nice feeling and a good motivator. ;) I try to occasionally add humor into the story, although it's a lot lighter in this chapter, I'll try to incorporate it more into the later parts of the story. Those numbers will actually, as the note said, have a variety of purposes, so you may be able to find some meaning for them throughout the story. Here's the challenge for you to pinpoint your crosshairs more accurately, and I hope that you enjoy!

* * *

Previously on The Mole, the 10 participants in the game received their rooms, where they would stay during their visit to Toad Town in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"_At the moment, you have to decide the rooming conditions." Monty continued._

_Boomer stepped up. "I'll take the first room!" he ran up enthusiastically._

"_Very well, you are in room 1-712." Monty handed him the room key._

Before they could continue and inspect their new living conditions however, Monty stopped them long enough to give them each an item which would prove to be very crucial to many of them throughout their stay in the game.

"_Let me guess-it's going to be our journals, am I right?" Goombella interjected._

"_Why, yes, you are indeed correct." Monty said in reply. "You will indeed be receiving journals for you to write down your thoughts in over the course of the game."_

These journal choices turned out to have surprising outcomes for some of the players.

"_Wait, so are you telling me…" Goombella started before trailing off._

"_That these neutralizers will be awarded to the players will the yellow trim notebooks, specifically Kooper and Junior? Yes, I am." Monty handed the cards to the mentioned players._

Soon after arriving in their rooms, the players went to lunch, where they found a note from none other than their favorite, or rather, least favorite, player.

"_So, here I have a note from the Mole themselves," Monty opened, while pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket._

Unfortunately for them, most of the players were unable to make heads or tails of the clue.

"_What kind of hogwash was that?" Boomer exclaimed, after a short pause._

_Monty straightened out the folded page one last time before passing it around the group. "The first note from the Mole is always the least helpful. Or most helpful, depending on your view." Monty cryptically spoke in answer._

After a delicious, but thought heavy lunch, the participants were shocked upon arriving into their rooms to find that their bags were missing.

"_I can't find it anywhere!" Daisy searched the whole room, turning it upside down. "Do you think that someone stole it? But why would they? And this is Peach's castle, how would robbers just waltz in?"_

"_Honestly," Toadette replied, relaxing on her bed, "I think that the producers must have taken it. Although for the part about waltzing in, it isn't exactly difficult for Bowser, you know?"_

Immediately on cue, Monty pulled the players out to the west garden, where their next challenge awaited them.

"_Now as you players have no doubt noticed by this point, your bags are no longer in your rooms. In fact, if you look carefully, you can see them up there." Monty pointed away from the castle to above a set of warp pipes. "Hanging onto poles about 30 feet above these Piranha Plant containing pipes, are all ten of your bags." The players turned to face them in a flash, startled by this turn of events._

_**Waluigi: **__I can't believe the producers would pull something like this!_

"_They are part of your next challenge, called Piranha Possessions. In this challenge, you will be split into five separate pairs, all of whom have an important role in this challenge._

The players soon found that would be divided into five pairs for this challenge, each with a unique task; and that these pairs would be decided once again by those journals they had picked, which may have not been optimal for the challenge.

"_Now," Monty went on, forestalling any further interruptions, "the pairs have already been decided. As the pair who picked the green lined journals, the color of bonuses, Goombella and Rosalina will be the players climbing to get the bags."_

_**Boomer: **__Right away, I was worried with the division of the roles. Goombella and Rosalina were not the people I would have picked to do any climbing._

After each pair received their assignment, the four in charge of locating a code or object were given the necessary clues, sealed in envelopes.

"_I have four envelopes here, clues for each of the four pairs. When I hand them to you, kindly do not open them until the challenge has started."_

At the end of the episode, the challenge had just been about to begin. What will happen next on this ever changing game controlled by the Mole?

**First Name: Boomer**

Surname: Bro

Birthday: October 12

Occupation: Weapons Specialist

**First Name: Toadette**

Surname: Chanterelle

Birthday: May 22

Occupation: College Student

**First Name: Boo**

Surname: Vaninto

Birthday: December 13

Occupation: Spy

**First Name: Birdo**

Surname: Sauria

Birthday: September 3

Occupation: Jeweler

**First Name: Junior**

Surname: Bowser

Birthday: March 30

Occupation: Artist

**First Name: Goombella**

Surname: Capricorn

Birthday: January 26

Occupation: Informational Writer

**First Name: Daisy**

Surname: Sarasa

Birthday: July 17

Occupation: Floral Chain Owner

**First Name: Kooper**

Surname: Shellsby

Birthday: June 24

Occupation: Exploration Assistant

**First Name: Rosalina**

Surname: Nova

Birthday: February 6

Occupation: Cosmologist

**First Name: Waluigi**

Surname: Amello

Birthday: August 31

Occupation: Government Hacker

Episode 1, Part 3: Confusing Clues and Characteristics

Waluigi tore open the envelope haphazardly, intent upon reaching the clue. Pulling out the paper, he read it aloud for his partner, Birdo, to hear. "Your code is located in the place where one immediately heads in order to seek knowledge."

"It must be the library!" Birdo realized instantly. "I remember seeing an entrance to it on the first floor, near the third wing."

"I think you're right, that would fit the description perfectly," Waluigi agreed, turning to head towards the location the pink dinosaur had mentioned. "Let's go, the less time we spend on our part, the better."

**Birdo: **_The clue wasn't too difficult to solve, honestly. I wonder if everyone else's were that simple as well? I certainly hope so, for the sake of our bags._

* * *

Kooper opened his envelope more carefully, making some effort to keep the envelope intact. Carefully slipping out the paper, he smoothed it out before reciting the words written on it. "The code you seek is at the place containing something similar to the reward you seek."

"It must refer to the treasury," Junior thought out loud. "After all, isn't the money what we seek?"

Kooper shook his head, disagreeing. "In this challenge, aren't we trying to get our bags? Wouldn't that really refer to something relating to clothes? It's probably somewhere in Peach's humungous closet."

"It wouldn't be in the closet because we wouldn't be allowed in there." Junior retorted. "Why would we be allowed into the Princess's private quarters?"

"Why would we be allowed into the treasury?" Kooper replied, giving Junior a strange look. "It kinda has millions of coins in it."

Junior thought a moment. "Well, why don't we split up then? I'll go to the treasury and check that out, and you try to check out Peach's closet."

"Good idea," Kooper replied. "We'll meet up in the Great Hall if neither of us finds it, otherwise, drop the code off and then meet up!" he called over his shoulder, heading into the castle.

Junior started to follow him, before realizing he had no idea where the treasury was.

**Junior: **_Just as I began to head off, it dawned on me that I would need to find out where the treasury was located. As I thought that, though, it also made me wonder how much the size of the castle would impact the challenge and how much it could be used as an excuse._

* * *

Boomer enthusiastically shredded his envelope, eager to start his role. He cleared his throat before yanking out the sheet and speaking the words written on it. "You will find what you require as well as what you desire in the location of the sport people play after they retire." Boomer shook his head to clear it. "I don't understand this at all. All of these –ires are confusing the heck out of me."

Boo took the paper from him and read it over again. "Well, as far as I can tell, the sport that people play after they retire must be golf," Boo chuckled. "However, even Princess Peach doesn't have a full golf course inside her gardens and walls, so it must refer to the mini-golf course on the east garden."

"You must be right!" Boomer responded excitedly. "Let's go!" He raced off in the direction of the opposite garden, with Boo chasing after him futilely.

**Boo: **_I've been giving all of the players a lot of thought, and I'm starting to feel as if Boomer's energy could actually be a clever cover up for him to make plenty of mistakes by rushing into things rather than thinking them through._

* * *

Daisy neatly slit open the envelope at the top with a pen before drawing out the page enclosed within. She read it over quickly, and then handed it over to Toadette. The female toad carefully took the page and read it aloud. "The key to the shed will be found where people occasionally bed, keeping cool, yet getting a better view of the heat."

"Yeah, I have no idea what it could be denoting to," Daisy admitted. "I honestly have no idea."

"Hmm…." Toadette pondered the possible options the clue was indicating to search. "I have a feeling this is really simple, and that we could be overthinking this.

"I just hope it won't be too difficult." Daisy answered.

**Daisy: **_While Toadette and I struggled with our clue, everyone else had shot off to search various locations. I couldn't help but hope this wouldn't be representative of the rest of our game._

* * *

Birdo and Waluigi raced into the library, anxious to succeed in their task. However, in their path there remained one obstacle that the duo had not considered.

"Woah…..this place is huge!" Birdo said, in awe of the size. She eyed the staircase within leading to a second floor of books, as well as the various paintings and computers. "It must take up a third of the first two stories!"

"That same size is a massive problem for us though," Waluigi noted, worried. "How are we going to find the code in all of this?"

"How about we ask someone?" Birdo suggested. "There must be at least librarian or two in a library this massive."

Waluigi shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he asked of no one in particular, and the two began their search.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kooper recognized the fact that it would be nearly impossible for him to find his way around this place without any sort of guide. "I don't even know what floor I'm looking for!" he thought to himself. "Maybe I can find another map on the walls or perhaps even someone to ask for directions…"

**Kooper: **_This place was so large, you could get quite easily get lost in it without a map or a guide. Thankfully, I realized that before I ended up getting lost, but that still left me in the predicament of trying to find out how to get where I wanted to go._

* * *

His partner Junior, on the other hand, decided that before he ran in there, it would be a good idea to get some sort of way to navigate this place. Following that train of thought, he walked up to one of the red-capped soldiers at the foot of the door. "Excuse me, but do you have a map of some kind for this castle?" he inquired.

"Why yes, I just happen to have a few," the guard toad replied, shifting his spear to his left arm and pulling out a folded piece of paper from inside his vest with his right. "Here you go!" he handed the sheet to Junior.

Junior quickly took the map from the toad and gave it a quick look. "Thank you!" Junior called over his shoulder as he started into the castle, following the map closely.

* * *

Boomer rounded the south wall of the castle and paused, finding himself in the east garden. In front of him he had a direct view of an expansive and beautiful mini-golf course, almost like a real golf course. At that moment, Boo caught up to him, panting slightly. "Could you be…..a little more considerate?" he asked between breaths.

"Uh, I think we may have a bigger problem here," Boomer replied, looking out along the entire space. "How are we going to find the code among this humongous area?"

Boo looked up sharply at those words. "Oh…shoot. This could take some work."

* * *

The final pair, Daisy and Toadette, was having more difficulties than the rest of the groups discovering the meaning of their clue. "I think that we should look in the bedrooms," Daisy suggested. "After all, it did mention sleeping conditions and beds."

"But…..it couldn't be that simple, could it?" Toadette wondered.

"You'll never know until you try!" Daisy cried, moving towards the castle. "Come on, it's not as if we have anything to lose, right?"

**Daisy:** _Maybe we couldn't figure out the meaning of the clue, but Toadette was content to stand there and spend valuable time just thinking. I mean, I understand that we need to try to figure it out, but we might as well look in possible areas instead of just waiting in one place._

"I guess you're right," Toadette responded, following her towards their rooms.

* * *

The two bag savers were patiently waiting in their positions, hopeful that they would be released soon, now that all of the groups had left to find their respective objects.

"I wonder if any of them have gotten their clues yet," Goombella started.

Before Rosalina could reply, she was cut off by Monty making an announcement through the castle's loudspeaker system. "70 minutes remaining, players! 20 minutes used, 70 minutes remaining!"

Rosalina paused for a moment, considering before she spoke. "Based on the fact that so much time is remaining, I would be quite surprised if all of the groups had already hit upon the solutions to their clues."

Goombella blinked. "But wouldn't we need a lot of time in order to successfully climb the poles? The metal stands may be easily reachable for you, but I would have to jump for each one."

**Goombella:** _I can never seem to figure Rosalina out. In fact, I'm starting to worry that I'm spending too much time trying to figure her out and not enough time on other aspects of the game._

* * *

"70 minutes remaining, players! 20 minutes used, 70 minutes remaining!" Kooper heard Monty's announcement blaring through the halls as he made his way to the Princess's private chambers. Turning the corner to the grand gold and pink double door entrance, he spotted two purple capped toad guards in front of the door. He raced up to them, eager to finish his section of the challenge.

"Hello!" he politely greeted the guards. "I'm a player from The Mole, a game show that Peach is hosting here at the moment, and I was wondering if there was a code that you two were given for me or if I can search in the chambers myself."

The two toad guards glanced at each other briefly before the one on the left responded to Kooper's words. "No, I'm afraid not. You must be in the wrong place," he told the koopa apologetically. "We received no such instructions."

"Oh, okay then," Kooper replied, racing out of the hallway and back to the Great Hall.

As he raced back to the beginning of the hallway, he noticed a handy elevator just opposite Peach's chambers. "Perfect," the turtle thought to himself, "I'll be able to reach the Great Hall quickly with this." He walked into the elevator just as a pair of toads walked out, and hit the ground floor. He noted the soothing elevator music by Numerical on his way down, identifying the song as Blissful Knowledge.

Arriving on the ground floor, Kooper found himself in the Great Hall itself, with Junior directly in front of him. "Did you get the code?" he asked his partner.

"Nope," Junior responded, disappointed when he realized that Kooper hadn't found it either. "I checked the treasury, but the toads there wouldn't let me in at all."

"Did you tell them you were part of the game?" Kooper questioned him instantly.

"Why…..no, I never thought to, I assumed they would have known." Junior answered him, picking up on the fact that he should have mentioned it. "Shoot, come on, let's go!" he cried, rushing off towards the treasury.

Kooper quickly followed, eager to make up for lost time.

**Kooper: **_Around this time, I was starting to worry for the success of our challenge. I only hoped that everyone else would be able to discover their objects in a more timely fashion. How could Junior have forgotten to mention he was part of the game anyway? The thought is just boggling._

* * *

Boomer and Boo were searching the fourth hole of the golf course hopelessly, unable to find any trace of a code. "This is hopeless," Boo groaned aloud. "We're never going to be able to find a code in this large of a golf course in time."

"We can't give up though, we'll fi-hey, there's an attendant!" Boomer caught sight of a worker. "Mr. Attendent Toad!" he shouted, "can you help us?"

The yellow capped attendant in question walked up to them, whistling a little tune. "Hello, how can I help you today?" he asked politely.

"We're from a game show called The Mole," Boo explained, "and we're wondering if you can help us find the code we're looking for."

"I've been only instructed to say that I can't help you find the ends you seek," the toad said apologetically. "That's all I can tell you." The toad walked away again, starting up his little tune again.

"Well that wasn't very helpful," Boomer noted after the toad had walked a suitable distance, then beginning to restart the search for the code. "Come on, let's keep looking."

Boo had a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm, I wonder…okay."

**Boomer:** _That toad wasn't helpful in the slightest. On the other hand, Boo seem to be giving his words a lot of thought. I can't help but think that Boo have gave gotten something that I did not._

* * *

Daisy and Toadette were busy searching their bedroom, looking for any sign of a key. "I don't think it's here," Toadette stated as she flopped on her bed, tired after searching all five of the rooms.

"You may be right, but where else would we…..wait a minute." Daisy was hit by a thought. "The clue said keeping cool under the heat, right?"

"Yes…..?" Toadette questioned, wondering the significance behind the statement.

"I think that the clue may have been referring to the roof! People sometimes sleep there, and it's cool at night but under the stars!" Daisy voiced her idea.

"You're right!" Toadette exclaimed, excited. "I knew it was something simple!" She followed hastily as Daisy tore out the door.

**Toadette: **_Although I was elated at the discovery of the meaning of our clue, at the moment I was also slightly suspicious of Daisy. The discovery of the meaning of the clue seemed a little planned, if I may say so myself._

* * *

In the library, Birdo and Waluigi had finally discovered the librarian after hunting throughout the entire library. "Do you know anything about the location of a code?" Waluigi queried, slightly impatiently. "We're from a game show called The Mole."

"Although I do know what you're referring too," the librarian started, "I'm afraid that I cannot help you any more than allowing you access to the computers, and the various sections of the library." The female green-capped toad adjusted her glasses. "However, if you are looking for a particular book, I would be more than happy to helpful to help you!"

"That's fine," Birdo cut in before Waluigi could say anything. "We'll look for it ourselves." The dinosaur pulled Waluigi out of hearing for whispering harshly. "It said to look for the place we go for knowledge. While the library is one, isn't the computer one as well?"

**Waluigi:** _While Birdo's idea was good and made sense, it may have been a little too good for her. It's possible that she is hiding her intelligence from us_.

"That makes this challenge so much more straightforward." Waluigi agreed. "Let's start up that computer over there." The pair moved the mouse of the computer and found that the computer was already open to a book. Waluigi attempted to move the cursor, only to find it to be frozen. "We must have to look for this book," he spoke his thoughts. "An Intro to Animal Biology. It has a blue book cover, so it should stick out."

"Let's ask the librarian," Birdo suggested.

* * *

Goombella and Rosalina were still waiting patiently at their pipes, wishing to be released.

"45 minutes remaining, players!" the players heard Monty call out. "45 minutes used, 45 minutes remaining!"

Just as Monty finished speaking, Kooper and Junior burst into view, panting from their long run. "We have the code!" Junior shouted, covering the remaining distance to Rosalina and inputting the numbers 4-1-9-0 into the device, unlocking the chains before flopping onto the grass. "It's all you now!"

"I understand," Rosalina replied, stretching out her body before striding over to the poles where the bags were hanging. Bracing herself, she began climbing the post, using the rings every few feet to maintain a good grip.

"Man, at this rate it will take forever to get all of the bags down," Kooper noted, watching Rosalina's progress. "I think that without the ladder we'll never finish in time."

Junior looked around quickly to check for the other players. "I cannot believe that we are the first ones to arrive despite having so many delays."

Goombella wriggled uncomfortably in her chains. "I can't wait to be set free from these."

* * *

Boomer and Boo were still searching the entire mini-golf course. They had just reached the ninth hole when Boo paused abruptly. "Wait a minute Boomer; I think that I found out where we need to go if we want to get the code."

"Well don't just stand there!" Boomer ordered rejuvenated with energy. "Come on, spit it out!"

"Well, the clue had the mention of the word "retire" or near the end, and the toad we passed said that he couldn't tell how to achieve our "ends". So, going by that logic, it would mean that we have to go to-"

"-the end of the course," Boomer finished, seeing what Boo was getting at. "Boo, you're a genius, that's it! Let's go!"

"Well, I try," Boo answered, blushing lightly. He followed Boomer as they picked up the pace heading back for the 18th hole.

* * *

Waluigi and Birdo were still in the library. After they discovered what it was that they had to search for, they quickly asked the librarian where they had to look for the book. "Well, if you look at the book numbers, there will be 4 sets of numbers; the first one, a one digit number, will be the floor; the second, a two digit number, will be the corresponding section of the floor, the third will be a two digit number representing the row it belongs to, and the fourth will be a three digit pinpointing the shelf. Just check the number of the book you are looking for and you should find it in no time."

"Okay, thank you!" Birdo quickly moved back to the computer to check the book's number. "Hmm, it says here…..okay, the number is as follows; 2-23-35-186."

"That's the second, floor, let's hurry!" Walugi leaped towards the staircase.

**Birdo:** _I feel like I was doing most of the work in our challenge, but with Waluigi's cunning, he should have been acing this stuff._

* * *

Boomer and Boo found themselves on the final hole of the mini golf course, where they believed the code to be found. Boo immediately floated over to the wooden pencil box of the hole, where the pencils would be placed after use on the golf course. Just as he was about to open it, Boo paused. "Hey, there's a four digit combo engraved on this box, do you think that's it?"

"It has to be it!" Boomer shouted, eager to complete his challenge. "What are the numbers?"

"Let's see….it says 0-1-1-2. That must be it," Boo read, but Boomer had disappeared soon after hearing the digits.

"We have to get this to the others as soon as possible!" he called over his shoulder as he rounded the corner to the south wall.

Boo, however was fine with this arrangement. Giving the corner of the wall one last look, he turned back to the wooden box. Eyes gleaming happily, he opened the box to discover the ultimate lifesaver.

**Boo: **_I knew from the moment that I heard the clue that there was an exemption on our section of the course. The clue had mentioned two different objects, and the exemption could be classified quite well as what any player would desire._

* * *

Back in the west garden, Rosalina finished tossing her fifth bag into the pipes, dusting her hands off afterwards. The other players, namely Goombella, Junior, and Kooper, were waiting impatiently for the rest of the pairs to arrive. "We can't have much time left," Goombella spoke anxiously. "Where is everyone else?"

As if on cue, Boomer dashed around the corner towards them, stopping just short of the calculator like device. He hastily typed in the four numbers, and watched impatiently as the calculator screen turned green, before shutting down completely.

"Hey, wasn't that supposed to-"he has cut off by the lights glowing on the bags over in the pipe garden, all with emblems of the players on them. A quick search showed that of the bags, Kooper's, Boomer's, Toadette's, Goombella's, and a money bag were all already brought back, with Rosalina climbing down the post which had held up the second money bag.

"Cool, my bag's safe," Boomer flopped on the grass, relieved at this turn of events.

**Junior: **_After the bags lit up, I noticed Rosalina's bag to be almost empty, if not completely empty. Perhaps an act of the Mole to ensure comfort?_

Not a moment after Boomer had lain down on the grass, Daisy and Toadette appeared around the same corner, Daisy clutching a large and old-fashioned golden looking key in her right hand. While Daisy headed immediately to unlock the shed, Toadette spoke to the three boys relaxing on the grass. "Could you help us bring the ladder out of the shed, please?"

Kooper and Boomer instantly obliged, and followed Daisy into the shed in order to pull out the ladder.

The three of them picked up the 34 foot ladder with ease, bringing it out of the shed and beginning to take it over to the rows of pipes. Before the little procession could get too far, however, Boomer realized something. "Hey, how is Rosalina going to move this ladder around to all of the posts by herself?"

The other players instantly looked over to where Rosalina was, and spotted her coming down with her seventh bag, labelled with a thumbprint from the Mole.

"I should have known she would go for the exemption," Junior muttered under his breath, annoyed by the fact that she seemed not to care about the belongings in the slightest.

Rosalina jumped down the last few feet, landing gracefully, then walked the remaining distance back to the players. After tossing the empty bag back into the pipe she had been trapped to but a few minutes earlier, she pocketed the green card she had removed from the bag and sat back down upon the grass.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Daisy yelled angrily, hands on her hips. "Just because you got the exemption doesn't mean that you can just relax. There are other bags too!"

Rosalina wordlessly handed Daisy a piece of paper that she pulled off of the front of the exemption.

Daisy smoothed out the paper and read it aloud. "Your personal reward comes with a price for the rest. You may no longer save any more bags." Her face darkened. "Well, this could be slightly problematic."

"20 minutes remaining, players!" the players heard Monty's voice once more. "70 minutes used, 20 minutes remaining!"

**Kooper:**_ This challenge doesn't seem to be going so well, as everyone seems to be suspicious in their own right. I'll have to think about all of these actions later._

**Rosalina: **_What I did not tell the others was that I suspected that there would be some sort of penalty for taking the exemption. Now I regret it, for I seem to have alienated the group, and the exemption was most likely not required to pass the first round._

* * *

Waluigi and Birdo both looked up at the sound of the host in the otherwise silent library. "We have to hurry!" Birdo broke the tension, redoubling her effort to search for the book.

Waluigi has about to respond, when he noticed a blue book on the top shelf, labelled 186. He plucked it out, and glanced at the cover. "I have the book!" he shouted, flipping through the book. "There's nothing here though, maybe we need to take it to the librarian?" He stood up and raced back down to the first floor, Birdo following. As she arrived on the first floor, Waluigi ran back up to her. "The code's 5-1-8-1-!"

* * *

The rest of the group was waiting impatiently for Waluigi and Birdo. Junior wore thin first. "Where are those two, they're going to lose us the challenge!"

"We're right here," Waluigi's voice answered, his body appearing in the others' view. He knelt down next to Goombella and entered in the code, freeing her to do her work. The goomba immediately jumped up and headed towards the bags, yelling "I'm free, I'm finally free!"

She headed towards the field immediately, and began to climb the ladder in place for her first bag. Before she could even make it a quarter of the way up, the left side of the ladder snapped just two feet from the bottom, sending the goomba tumbling back down. She fell back down on the grass, and the ladder fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

"Oh my Stars, are you okay!" Daisy shouted, rushing towards towards her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she groaned, unable to move. "The ladder is actually fairly light considering, but I still can't move at all."

Daisy quickly shifted the ladder a couple of feet, enough for the goomba girl to squeeze her way out. "Can you still go on?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I think so." She winced, discovering a new bruise on her foot. "Like I said earlier, the ladder is pretty light, considering. It's also covered with some sort of soft rubber. I think I'll be fine to go on."

Goombella picked herself, dusting herself off, before slowly climbing up the post to her first bag, as the other players watched. "I hope she's okay, and isn't pushing herself too much," Toadette spoke to the group.

Daisy walked back to the group, not looking too happy with the turn of events. "If that was the Mole's doing, they're even more despicable than I thought they were."

The rest of the group nodded grimly, feeling the same way except for one particular person.

"So, let's go over the results of the challenge, shall we?" the host started. "So, in total, nine bags were recovered. These bags were as follows; Kooper's, Boomer's, Toadette's, Daisy's, Goombella's, and Birdo's, along with two bags of money and the exemption bag retrieved by Rosalina."

A couple of players shot Rosalina dirty looks. Rosalina nodded at them saying, "While you're like that now, you would have done the exact same thing were you in my position."

Monty cleared his throat to regain their attention. "What this means is that 5 000 of the coins will be added to the pot, and that Rosalina, Junior, Waluigi, and Boo will be without their bags."

"At least all of use took out the essentials, right?" Junior tried to lighten the mood.

"That still doesn't make it too much better," Boo replied. "But you are right, it could have been even worse."

**Daisy: **_When Junior brought up that all of them had removed the essentials, it reminded me that the Mole would have been careful to at least remove enough to be able to have the necessities if they were to lose their bag. Any of them could be the Mole in that case._

"However," Monty started again, "there was a very clear rule during the challenge that was broken multiple times." The players suddenly stood stock still. "During the mission, none of the searching pairs were to move into the space between the pipes the savers were chained to and the pipe rows. But during the course of the challenge, four times a player moved into that area, clearly breaking the rules of the challenge. Because of this, 4 000 coins are removed from the mission, leaving just 1 000 coins earned."

**Challenge Results:**

Money Won: 5 000 – 4 000 = 1 000

Team Pot: 10 000 coins.

"Well that challenge just plain sucked!" Boomer burst out.

"Although it would seem that nothing was intentional," Monty continued, "there was a lot of suspicious activity throughout the mission. Waluigi and Birdo took extremely long as a pair to get their code. Honest mistake or sabotage?"

"We did our best," Birdo defended, "and our clue was probably the most time consuming.

"Or how about Rosalina's name appearing once again? She took the exemption, wasting plenty of time during the course of the mission when she could have been saving bags."

"I require no justification for my actions beyond what I have already given," Rosalina answered calmly.

"And, of course, there was the ladder collapse, as well as the various infractions of the rules, when carrying it out and to help Goombella during the collapse. Daisy appeared the most suspicious during that event, although Boomer and Kooper are also choice suspects."

"It would have been impossible for us to sabotage the ladder in front of everyone else," Daisy responded. "And, should I not have helped Rosalina?"

"There's also one last detail. During the challenge, Boo had found an exemption that was mentioned to in the clue he was given. As such, he is now immune to elimination this round."

**Boo: **_I was kinda hoping Monty wouldn't mention that aloud to everyone. I feel like now I have a target on my back._

"Now, any way you look at it, the results of this challenge were a failure for all but one of you. You are free to spend the rest of your time until dinner in…" Monty checked his watch, "3 hours however you wish as long as you stay within the boundaries of the castle." The host rapidly moved to the corner and disappeared, leaving the players behind.

**Boomer: **_Right now, I'm more confused than ever on whom the Mole could be now. Everyone just seemed suspicious during that challenge. However, because of this challenge, I do feel more justified in suspecting Waluigi. He took an unreasonable amount of time to solve his task._

**Junior: **_I'm still suspicious of Goombella and Kooper, two people who were under the radar but still open to sabotage during this challenge. Koooper was off doing who knows what during our section of the challenge, obviously not finding the right area for the code, and everyone forgets that Goombella could have sabotaged the ladder herself; it would have been the ultimate move._

**Daisy: **_Overall, I've pretty much decided that the Mole is probably one of the quieter people under the radar. Basing my suspects on that thought, I've decided to focus my suspicions on Toadette, Kooper, Boo, and Birdo, mostly the latter three._

**Toadette: **_I don't want to pick a suspect too early in the game, and if I do pick one, it isn't going to be a solid and unchangeable suspect. I think anyone could be the Mole, but I'd like to focus a little more on Rosalina, Goombella, and Boomer._

**Kooper: **_I still find Junior to have been incredibly suspicious during that challenge. He apparently found out that the treasury wasn't the place, but we ended up finding that was the place to go to, which brings up the question of what he was really doing that time._

**Goombella: **_Daisy continues to rank high up on my suspicions chart, with her sabotages during the challenges, as well as the long time period for her to find her key. I'm starting to suspect Toadette more as the game goes on, though….._

**Birdo:**_ I have absolutely no idea who I should be suspecting at this point. I've decided that Waluigi was the most suspicious at this point, as he barely helped at all during our section of the challenge, but everyone else apparently had their own suspicious moments as well._

**Rosalina:**_ For my suspicions, I have decided not to decide on anyone this early. I will simply continue to mark down sabotages and make my decision later in the game. This early, no one will know who the Mole is, not to mention this lovely exemption I have myself here._

**Waluigi: **_When I analyze what happened so far in today's events, I found that Rosalina quickly went from being one of the most suspected to being one of the least suspected. In my book, an obvious Mole could still be a Mole._

**Boo: **_Thanks to this exemption, I feel free of any pressures, for now anyway. Looking at the events so far today, anyone could be the Mole. That's only thing I'm sure of at this moment. I do have some suspects in mind, however….._

Eager to finally be able to explore their surroundings or relax after a long day, the players faded into various directions.

* * *

**The Mole seems to be very active so far in the story? Or are they? Maybe the players just suck at working together as a group. :p Only time will tell! **

******If you have time, feel free to drop a review with your thought, both on your favorites and suspicions, and also if you have any suggestions. I have a new poll up, so be sure to vote for your suspects there! Guest votes will be accepted in the form of a review, although some feedback would also be nice. That's it for now, see you readers next time!**


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